The present invention relates to methods and systems for detecting and indicating the presence of undesirable substances in ingestible substance such as food or beverages. More specifically, the invention relates to systems and methods for nonvisually and concealably indicating and detecting the presence of unwanted or undesired drugs in a beverage or food.
Certain drugs, sometimes referred to as “date rape drugs,” have been used to facilitate sexual assaults on unsuspecting victims. Typically the drug is surreptitiously placed in the intended victim's beverage or food. This is a relatively easy process because this class of drug typically provides little or no indication of its presence, creating little or no color change, detectable smell, or change in flavor in the drugged substance that could detected by the intended victim. Once consumed, the drugs typically used for this purpose can create weakness, confusion, and/or unconsciousness in the victim, who typically has no memory of what transpired while they were drugged. Some of these drugs, when combined with alcohol consumption, may exhibit an even more pronounced sedating effect.
While the victim is unconscious or disoriented, they may be subjected to sexual assault, theft, or other abuses by the person who drugged them.
Some pharmaceuticals which have been used as date rape drugs include flunitrazepam (trade name ROHYPNOL, and street name “roofie”), gamma-hydroxybutyric acid (or GHB), and ketamine. Similar acting drugs may also be used as date rape drugs, such as clonazepam (trade name KLONOPIN in the U.S. and RIVOTRIL in Mexico), alprazolam (trade name XANAX), and other benzodiazepines including temazepam (trade name RESTORIL) and midazolam.
Currently available tests for the detection of such drugs focus on creating a visible indicator that that the drug is present. Selected testing methods and systems are described in (a) U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,992,296; 5,457,054; 6,153,147; 6,703,216; 6,713,306; and 7,238,533; (b) U.S. patent application Nos. US2001/0046710; US2003/0026731; US2003/0224474; US2004/0146429; US2007/0065338; US2007/0099300; US2008/0006600; US2008/0102482; and US2009/0196675; (c) PCT Patent Application No. WO2005/059541; and (d) U.K. Patent No. 2436362, all of which are incorporated herein by reference.
The above types of tests are typical, in that they involve a tester device that, when exposed to a liquid, exhibits a visual color change when a target drug is present in the liquid. See for example U.S. Pat. No. 7,238,533, which discloses a color change in applied finger nail polish; U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2004/0146429, which discloses an embedded so-called colorimetric indicator in a porous material used as a cocktail napkin, coaster, placemat, menu, matchbook, drink carrier, flyer, coupon, personal test kit or business card; and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2007/0099300, which discloses a color change on a straw. These tests, however, may not be readily concealable, as each test requires a visual analysis in order to determine the results of the test. Opportunities for testing may therefore be limited in a social setting and in the presence of the person who is suspected of placing an unwanted drug in a beverage.
What is needed is a test system that can verify the presence or absence of a target drug in a food or beverage without requiring a visual evaluation, so that the person suspected of tampering with the food or beverage need never know that they are under suspicion.